Sometimes, its just easiest to throw a bunch of ingredients into a bowl, then press it into a pan. That’s exactly the case with these chewy chocolate cherry protein bars. They are great for summer as they are no-bake and great to have as a filling snack. Each bar packs a protein punch! 22 g of protein per bar!
Not only are they rich and chocolatey, you’ll also find little morsels of dried cherries in there for a bit of an extra sweet punch. I didn’t want to add to many to up the sugar content, so 1/3 a cup of these chopped up gives a hint of cherries with only 8.5 g of sugar for an entire bar.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you could always swap out the chocolate whey protein for vanilla, and use a different dried fruit (pineapple, cranberries, blueberries) or leave it out if you like too!
They will get soft if left out at room temperature for too long, so be mindful of that, especially with summer upon us. These are best enjoyed right out of the fridge or freezer.
These chewy, stick to your teeth bars are perfect when you’re craving chocolate!
- 3 cups whey protein, chocolate (I used Lean Body For Her Whey Concentrate)
- 3 cups rice puffs cereal (not the same as rice krispies. I used this one from Nature's Path)
- 3 Tbsp liquid honey
- ⅔ cup natural smooth peanut butter
- ⅓ cup dried cherries, chopped
- ⅔ cup milk (I used almond milk)
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 20 drops stevia *optional (I used NuNaturals stevia drops)
- In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients, adding the milk last to bring it all together. You may need slightly more milk than ⅔ cup if your dough is too dry. Just use enough to make the dough easy to handle. It will be sticky.
- Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray, and using a piece of plastic film, press in the bars evenly into the pan.
- Place in the fridge for at least 30-45 minutes until set. Cut into bars and store in the fridge or freezer. I like to individually wrap mine and keep in the freezer.